Florida’s amendment to repeal abortion ban predicted to fail, likely keeping state’s six-week ban in place

A Florida constitutional amendment that would have repealed the state’s six-week abortion ban was projected to fail Tuesday night after the measure failed to win approval from at least 60% of voters.

The amendment’s defeat followed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s 13-point victory in the increasingly conservative state. The state also appears ready to give up amendment to widely legalize marijuana.

Florida is among 10 states whose voters are considering such an amendment to their state constitution this year following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn nationwide abortion access guaranteed by law. Roe v. Wade.

The amendment’s failure would be a victory for Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who aggressively opposed the proposal as extreme.

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Background

Millions of Americans across the country, from Florida to California, voted Tuesday on a series of ballot initiatives or constitutional amendments that could influence public policy trends for decades on a range of controversial issues, including abortion access and drug legalization.

Several initiatives have become the subject of national debate, especially those related to abortion access, as Kamala Harris courtes female voters and Republicans try to defend strict abortion bans in states like Florida.

Abortion initiatives have received the largest share of national attention as Democrats often cite access to the procedure as a key issue. giving reasons for his vote after the conservative Supreme Court overturned the decision Roe v. Wade in 2022, returning the power to legislate on the issue to states.

Abortion

Republicans and advocates were caught off guard when several state-level abortion initiatives passed with voter support in some traditionally red states, although others also failed to gain the necessary support. Other states have quickly passed stricter abortion rules, putting them in the crosshairs of ballot initiatives by pro-life groups.

One of the largest initiatives has collected enough signatures to get on the ballot in Florida. Amendment 4 would end the state’s six-week abortion ban and could repeal state laws requiring parental consent.

State Governor and former Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis stormed the state warning of the measure’s “deceptive language” and the amendment’s unintended consequences, such as increasing late-term abortions and undermining parental rights.

“I think people need to know the truth about what’s at stake here,” DeSantis said at a rally in central Florida. “Amendment 4, despite the deceptively worded way it is worded, would effectively mean no restrictions.”

Overall, abortion access initiatives are on the ballot in 10 states, including the swing states of Arizona and Nevada. Nebraskans, where electoral votes are divided based on the winner of each congressional district, will face competing abortion initiatives: one that aims to preserve abortion rights and another that would outlaw it in almost all cases after the first trimester.

Democrats hope ballot measures on abortion access will encourage their electorate, and women in particular, to support their party. Kamala Harris has made the issue a central component of her speeches and policy proposals. As president she promises veto any national abortion ban and sign a bill to “restore reproductive freedom across the country.”

Harris also attacked Donald Trump for what she said was “very offensive” speaks out about women and references past allegations of sexual assault or harassment against the former president.

“There is a saying that you need to listen to people when they tell you who you are or who they are. And this isn’t the first time he’s told us he doesn’t believe women should have freedom of choice and the power to make decisions about their bodies,” Harris. said on the trail.

“We trust women,” she added.

Legalization of drugs

Several states across the country are also set to vote on drug legalization amendments. Florida, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota will vote on bills that would legalize marijuana in those states.

This round of voting is the latest in a wave of states that have decriminalized the drug since Oregon became first state to do so in 1973 when it was determined that possession of less than one ounce of cannabis was punishable only by a fine. Recreational marijuana is now legal almost half of the US states and Washington, DC

Voters in Massachusetts will face the question of whether to legalize psychedelic drugs for people 21 and older, which the state’s psychiatrists oppose. If Massachusetts voters approve the measure, it would be the third state to legalize the use of psychedelics, following Colorado and Oregon, which legalized its use in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The vote on the measures comes as some states have backed away from liberal drug legalization, including trailblazer Oregon. Earlier this year, Oregon’s governor signed a bill that re-criminalize drug possession following a 2020 initiative that abolished all criminal penalties. The liberal policy extended to drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, which could be punishable by fines.

Justice reforms

California is set to vote on a bill that would toughen penalties for certain crimes, reversing several waves of criminal justice reforms that liberalized the code. Ten years ago voters approved a separate proposal designed to ease prison overcrowding by reclassifying some felonies as misdemeanors. Now law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and retail stores blame the law for rising crime, homelessness and drug overdoses.

After a recent attempt in 2020 to reverse the reforms failed, the new ballot proposal has achieved approval as high as 75% in some polls and is likely to pass.

Progressive prosecutors in Los Angeles and Oakland also faced with backlash against softer crime policies. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón and Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price, part of a cadre of prosecutors across the country pushing for commutation reforms in favor of alternative methods, are facing recall elections. According to a recent survey, Gascón pursuing his conservative opponent by 24 points in the liberal city. According to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, Gascón was the recipient over 6 million dollars from far-left billionaire George Soros.

School choice

Three states are set to vote on school choice initiatives that could expand state funding for private education or homeschooling. Two ballot measures will make school choice easier. Kentucky And Colorado for the first time, for which there are currently no programs.

Nebraska voters are determined to decide the fate of the amendment it would eliminate the state’s $10 million-a-year school choice program, which currently covers students’ costs to attend private schools.